Best-selling author writes about an area close to his heart

Sunday

May 12, 2013 at 4:00 AM

By RENEE BINDEWALDTimes-News Correspondent

In the New York Times bestselling novel "A Land More Kind Than Home," Pastor Chambliss leads a small town down a tragic path with a Bible in one hand and a rattlesnake in the other.The book's author, Wiley Cash, became captivated by the land and people of Southern Appalachia when he was 14. From that moment, the Gastonia native began his plans to attend the University of North Carolina Asheville and study creative writing.On Friday, Cash, now 35 and living in West Virginia, will return to Western North Carolina as the featured artist for Blue Ridge Bookfest at Blue Ridge Community College. UNCA literature professor David Hopes remembers Cash fondly. "He was always the best, and people would be in awe when (Cash) would read," Hopes said of his former student, "but it's not like he was acting out in any way. I think that was what first led me to believe that he was so completely genuine about it." Hopes said he's not surprised Cash has become the talented and renowned author that he is, but when Cash was a student, he never spoke of wanting to write as a career. "I used to think he's too handsome to be a writer," Hopes said, adding that Cash is exceptionally charming.Hopes assumed Cash, a 2000 UNCA graduate, would go on to work in politics because he was well-liked and politically active. At UNC Asheville, Cash was a leader in the Sigma Nu fraternity and was student body president. "He worked as hard as anybody I know, and it turned out better because he had talent," Hopes said. "You know a lot of people work hard and don't have talent." As a student, Cash was always curious, but not vocal about his writing plans. Instead of talking about what was going on in his head, he foraged for information and inspiration throughout Western North Carolina. Cash was fascinated by "The Holy Ghost People," a documentary on snake handling shown by his history professor, Dan Pierce. In a telephone interview, Cash said he's probably watched the film 20 times since he first saw it in Pierce's class."I always debated with myself of whether to do it, the whole snake handling thing," Pierce said. Since the topic lends itself easily to stereotypes, Pierce said he tends to be apprehensive about exploring the subject, but was pleased to see Cash's approach in the novel."I was very pleased with his accuracy," Pierce said. "He talked about snake handling, but they were real people and I think that's an important thing.""A Land More Kind Than Home" began as a short story Cash was writing in spring of 2004. While working on his Ph.D. at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, Cash read a news story about an African-American boy who was smothered to death during a healing service at a church in inner-city Chicago. Cash wanted to try to tell the little boy's story, but knew nothing about what life as an African-American boy in Chicago was like. So he decided to set his story in the place he loved and missed most — Western North Carolina. The novel is set in Marshall and focuses on the members of a church near the French Broad River where a new pastor has come to town. The church is a small concrete building with newspapers covering the windows. Its people and happenings are a mystery to the rest of the community, and the reader.The story is told from the perspective of three characters: Adelaide Lyle, the sweet devout Sunday school teacher; Jess Hall, a curious boy trapped by circumstance; and Sheriff Clem Barefield, the resounding voice of reason throughout the chaotic tragedy that overtakes the community. "I wanted these characters to represent the community and speak for the community, so I wanted them to be as well-rounded as possible," Cash said. "I wanted them to portray different elements of the community." Cash's use of the three narrators forces the reader to constantly guess what is going to happen next, and then helps to explain each situation piece by piece from a new perspective. "Jess, the little boy, is kind of the emotional component of the story. Adelaide is the safe component, and Clem is the very rational, stoic component, the narrator closest to the reader's perspective," he said.The novel begins with Adelaide's choice to begin her Sunday school program because she feels the church is no longer an appropriate place for the children to be. Little Jess is one of her students who likes to wander off down the river with his friend, Joe Bill, but their wandering and curiosity soon teaches them why they shouldn't be spying on adults. After seeing something that can never be unseen, Jess is caught battling to do the right thing. During Cash's first reading of "A Land More Kind Than Home" in Asheville, he spoke to a standing-room-only crowd at Malaprop's Bookstore. Many who knew Cash went to the event and were amazed by the crowd he had drawn because of the book. His former adviser for student government, Kevan Frazier, said he was excited to hear Cash speak."He just had the whole crowd captivated," Frazier said, "not even reading his story yet, but just talking about how he got to that point even before he started doing the reading."Those attending this year's Blue Ridge Bookfest will have an opportunity to enjoy a similar experience.On Friday, Cash and other featured authors will attend a reception from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and will be available at the door or in advance at the Visitors Information Center in Hendersonville. After the reception, Cash will deliver an address at 6:30 p.m.Starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, more than 40 authors will be in the BRCC technology building for book signings. There will also be presentations by Cash, L. Charles Fiore, Walt Larimore, Jay Leutze, David Madden, Matt Matthews, Rob Neufield, Jack Prather, Kerry Reichs, Shirrel Rhoades, Michel Stone, John Wood, Loretta Hayward and Scotti Cohn.Cash's second novel, to be released early next year, is set in Gastonia. It's about a washed-up minor league baseball player who kidnaps his daughters from foster care. The story also reflects the mountains and Southern culture he holds deep in his heart."I'll probably be writing about it for the rest of my life," Cash said.